Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The
Endocrine Society commissioned Lake Research Partners to conduct a
national survey of 424 internal medicine, family practice and OB/GYN
physicians about their attitudes and experiences related to treating menopausal symptoms. According to the survey, physicians say the primary
barrier to women receiving hormone therapy is patients’ fears about the
risks and their unwillingness to discuss the option. This new survey
follows a study conducted in April 2012 among 810 women ages 45 to 60 on
the same topic.Hormone therapy has been under intense scrutiny
since 2002, when a large government study called the Women’s Health
Initiative (WHI) reported that hormone therapy—specifically the
combination of estrogen and progestin together—increased the risk for
blood clots, stroke, breast cancer and heart attacks. The researchers
halted the study and concluded that the risks of hormone therapy
outweighed the benefits. Although the study was designed to evaluate
the role of hormone therapy in the prevention of diseases related to
aging, many women and their doctors also abandoned it as therapy for
menopausal symptoms.

Over the past 10 years, additional research has
found that the level of risk depends on the individual woman, her health
history, age, and the number of years since her menopause began. In
general, younger women (under 60) who have recently started menopause
are at a lower risk than older women when taking low doses of hormone
therapy.“Nearly every physician participating in the
survey said menopausal symptoms have a negative impact on quality of
life,” said William F. Young, Jr., MD, president of The Endocrine
Society. “It’s important for a woman to know what hormonal and
non-hormonal treatment options may be best for them to provide symptom
relief, and that’s why we developed the Menopause Map.”

In May, The Endocrine Society and The Hormone Health Network launched The “Menopause Map”,
an online interactive tool that guides a woman through the different
options available to get relief from her symptoms through a series of
prompting questions about those symptoms and her personal health
history. The Map also has links to questionnaires that help assess
current risk for breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. The tool
weighs hormonal and non-hormonal therapies against the risks based on
individual symptoms and medical history.

Findings from the survey include:

• The vast majority of physicians surveyed (90%)
say they are very comfortable talking to their patients about menopause,
while fewer (71%) say their patients feel the same way. • Data
suggest women may not be talking about all of their symptoms to their
doctors – particularly to male physicians. While 55% of female
physicians say it is very common for women to talk to them about a lack
of sexual desire as a result of menopause, 38% of male physicians say
the same. Our April 2012 survey found 28% of women ages 45 to 60 are
currently experiencing moderate to severe lack of sexual desire as a
result of menopause.• While most physicians surveyed (71%) have a
positive impression of hormone therapy, 73% say they are prescribing the
treatment at lower rates than they were ten years ago.• Physicians
say women are not receiving hormone therapy because patients are
uncomfortable with the risks and are unwilling to consider the option
(88%). Many OB/GYN physicians (57%) also say women are confused about
hormone therapy. Only 11% of women ages 45 to 60 have a favorable view
of hormone therapy.

Six in ten physicians (61%) say consensus from the
scientific community on the effectiveness and risks of treatment
options would be very helpful for treating women with menopausal
symptoms. Today, the Society in partnership with the North American
Menopause Society and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
issued a statement of agreement regarding
the benefits of hormone therapy for symptomatic menopausal women. The
new joint statement, endorsed by 12 other scientific and medical
societies and published in the Society’s Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology & Metabolism, concludes that hormone therapy is still
an acceptable treatment for menopausal symptoms.

# # #

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the
world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to
research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today,
The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 15,000 physicians,
scientists, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries.
Society members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in
endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, MD. To
learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our
web site at www.endo-society.org. The Hormone Health Network works to join Endocrine
Society physicians, primary care providers, patients and the public in
meaningful, informed discussions about hormones and health. The Network
offers patients and their providers free, on-line resources that are
based on the Society’s most advanced clinical and scientific knowledge
of endocrine-related diseases and conditions. Join the Hormone Health
Network today by visiting www.hormone.org and subscribing to Hormone
Hotline, our monthly e-update on hormones and health.